North Columbus

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The truth is that I stumbled into law as a young man in college but loved the end result, especially my 20+ years in Legal Services, serving low income clients, including tenants and homeowners.

What experiences (work and personal) help you to be a better attorney?

20+ years in Legal Services handling a wide variety of substantive issues, working on dozens of class actions, helping mentally ill/developmentally disabled clients, and advocating for low income tenants and homeowners in state and federal courts has given me a depth of experience. During my years in private practice I have managed to devise ways to help clients with limited incomes for a reasonable and affordable fee.

What made you choose your primary specialty focus of law?

I spent 8 years as the managing attorney for the Housing Unit at the Legal Aid Society of Columbus. I developed an extensive knowledge of tenant-landlord law during that time and worked hard in that role to set up an institutionalized representation of tenants. I recognized that tenant representation was an unmet need in private practice as well, and I felt I could offer the benefit of my experience and service to those in need at an affordable fee.

What makes your law firm unique?

I believe that the service I offer to tenants and low to moderate income homeowners is unusual, although I think it would be presumptuous to say it is unique. I would think it is also unusual for someone of my experience to offer services in this area. In addition, I am very flexible in scheduling appointments. For example, I schedule Saturday and evening appointments, and I can often be reached after normal business hours.

Describe your ideal client.

I feel strongly that I work for my clients, no matter what their situation. It's up to me to provide them the best representation, to be the ideal lawyer for them. Still, the organized client is always nice.

Describe your personal interest and hobbies.

I enjoy hiking, especially in the local parks with my wife, doing crossword puzzles and sudoku. I like to read Discover magazine and science fiction novels. Family get togethers with my children, their significant others and our grandsons are always fun. We have a new grandson in 2017, the first in 20+ years. Occasionally, I do some modest juggling for exercise and to help with my coordination. My wife and I like heading to the beach for a vacation, in particular the Outer Banks and Cape Cod, although we haven't been there in awhile.

Describe your charitable activities.

I am a longstanding board member of Community Mediation Services (CMS), and presently I am the Board President. Over the years, I have been involved with advocacy organizations for persons with low incomes and/or who are homeless.

Lawsuits and Appeals

Appeals

Consumer and Lemon Law

Contract Disputes

Fraud

Lawsuit Defense

Libel Injury Defense

Mold Issues

Small Claims

Real Estate, Housing and Foreclosure Defense

Building codes

Condominiums

Federal Subsidized Housing Rights

Foreclosure Defense

Leasing

Mold Issues

Mortgages

Property Taxes

Public Housing

Renting

Section 8

Tenant/Landlord

Degree

The Ohio State UniversityJuris Doctor (JD), 1975

The Ohio State UniversityBachelor of Arts, 1972

Bar Association Membership

Ohio State Bar AssociationColumbus Bar Association

Accomplishments

I practiced public interest law for 27 years in nonprofit and government legal services programs. I am most proud of my years as the Legal Aid Housing Unit Managing Attorney. As well as providing representation to tenants and low-income homeowners, I believe I helped to mold a unit of attorneys who continued to provide quality and aggressive representation for many years despite turnover in staff, including my own eventual departure from the unit.

I am current on all of my continuing legal education requirements. Additionally, I have given presentations for continuing education seminars on housing matters.

Bar Admission Date

1975-11-01

Supreme Court Number

0010509

Licensed In

Ohio (1975), #0010509

Significant Cases

Over the years I have been involved in numerous class actions and appeals, including several involving housing matters. My most notable housing case was probably Presidential Parks v. Colston, which helped to reestablish an acceptance of rent defense for Franklin County tenants, who paid rent after service of a three day notice to vacate.

Summary of Firm

I provide representation to individuals and small businesses for reasonable fees in housing and other cases.

Summary of Previous Employment

I started my career in 1975 as a VISTA, which is essentially a domestic version of the Peace Corps. I worked as a staff attorney at the Ohio State Legal Services Association, a state support center for legal aid programs in Ohio, I handled various class action and law reform matters at OSLSA. I then worked for two years at the Legal Aid Society of Columbus again handling law reform matters, and then moved onto the Ohio Legal Rights Service as the Litigation Coordinator, where I supervised a staff of attorneys representing developmentally disabled and mentally ill clients around Ohio. Finally, I settled back into Columbus Legal Aid where I spent 20 years from 1982 through 2002, first as a staff attorney, but was promoted to a managing attonrey within nine months of my start date. I managed at various times, the Housing, Domestic and Seniors Unit, until I was promoted to Deputy Director, which was later transformed into a Litigation Director position. I supervised numerous attorneys, paralegals, law clerks, and support staff, and was involved in all phases of the operation of the office. In 2003, I left to pursue other options, finally settling on a housing practice. I am currently operating a home office and trying to provide affordable service to tenants, homeowners and others in need of affordable legal assistance.

Free Initial Consultation?

I will initially discuss your case with you by phone (or email, although I find phone calls more efficient) in order to determine whether I can help you and to quote you a reasonable fee.

Typical Retainer Fees

A standard retainer fee is $500.00 although this amount could vary depending on the complexity of the case and the amount of my time that would be involved.

Fixed-Price Services and Fees

I occasionally offer flat fees for evictions and other cases, depending on the facts of the particular case. $500.00 is a typical flat fee. I also offer an in-person consultation for a flat fee of $200.00 for approximately one hour of my time.

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